They used to be regarded as the invasive descendants of Joan of Arc’s murderers, but now Les Rosbifs are being welcomed with open arms into the French countryside — and heading straight to the corridors of power.

In an indication of the increasingly impressive integration of British expats in France, nearly 400 UK candidates are standing in village council elections all over the south later this month.

Their presence testifies to the changing view of Brits in the Gallic countryside, as they become part of the scenery in areas such as the Dordogne, Normandy and the Lot.

“We realise now that

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When Broadchurch, the British crime drama, appeared on French TV last month, detractors said that it was too high-brow for the average Gallic viewer (Adam Sage in Paris writes). Now the series, starring David Tennant, is being hailed as a triumph. The eight episodes proved so successful that France Télévisions, the state broadcaster, has announced plans to make its own version.
French-made fiction on the most popular channels — France 2 and TF1 — is widely seen as unoriginal. Joséphine Ange Gardien
(Josephine, Guardian Angel), is a case in point. On air since 1997, it features the same storyline every week.
Broadchurch, the ITV drama that starts with the murder of an 11-year-old boy, is everything that Joséphine Ange Gardien
is not. "We thought it would crash," said Pierre Langlais, a critic. But Broadchurch attracted 6.7 million viewers, the best primetime performance for France 2 since May 2012.
Mr Langlais said that Broadchurch had been a revelation, suggesting that viewers were more sophisticated than had been assumed. "What if they accepted, little by little, to watch harder, more demanding series?" he wondered.